Alpine Air Express

Alpine Air Express is an American airline based in Provo, Utah, USA.[3][4] It operates scheduled air cargo services on over 100 routes throughout Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah. Its main base is the Provo Municipal Airport.[5]

Alpine Air Express
IATA ICAO Callsign
5A AIP ALPINE AIR
Founded1971
HubsBillings Logan International Airport,

Denver International Airport,

Salt Lake City International Airport,

Sioux Falls Regional Airport[1]
Fleet size40
Destinations39
Parent companyAE Industrial Partners [2]
HeadquartersProvo, Utah, USA
Websitewww.alpine-air.com
Alpine Air Beechcraft 1900D

History

The airline was established in 1971. It originally operated scheduled passenger and cargo services, aircraft maintenance and a flight school, but now concentrates on cargo services. The airline tried to establish Alpine Air Chile,[6] in an attempt to enter Chile's air freight market. The project was not successful and was discontinued in 2005, with three Beechcraft 1900C being re-integrated into the US fleet.[5]

While Alpine Air was performing scheduled passenger operations in the 1980s and 1990s, it served the following cities in Utah, Colorado, and Nevada:

  • Blanding, UT
  • Cedar City, UT
  • Delta, UT
  • Duchesne, UT
  • Ely, NV
  • Grand Junction, CO
  • Green River, UT
  • Manti, UT
  • Moab, UT
  • Monroe, UT
  • Monticello, UT
  • Mt. Pleasant, UT
  • Nephi, UT
  • Price, UT
  • Provo, UT
  • Richfield, UT
  • Roosevelt, UT
  • Salina, UT
  • Salt Lake City, UT
  • St. George, UT
  • Vernal, UT

Some cities were served by Scenic Aviation and Castle Valley Aviation, on-demand charter services operating on behalf of Alpine Air. [7]

Fleet

The Alpine Air Express fleet includes the following aircraft.

In April 2020 Alpine Air Express acquired the assets of the defunct Great Lakes Airlines, including 25 Beechcraft 1900 and two Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia [8] which are to be converted to cargo planes.

Incidents

In October 1992, an Alpine Air PA-42 deviated off course and crashed into a mesa in Grand Junction, Colorado, while operating as an airtaxi flight. There were three fatalities: the pilot and two passengers.

August 2004 – While operating a Billings to Kalispell, Montana, flight for the US Postal Service, the Beech 99 crashed into Big Baldy mountain, located near Great Falls. Two crewmembers died.[9][10]

January 2008—An Alpine Air Raytheon Beech 1900 crashed into the Pacific Ocean on a cargo flight between Honolulu International Airport and Lihue Intl in Hawaii. This crash claimed one life: the pilot of the aircraft.[11][12][13]

May 2008—Upon departure from Billings, ATC instructed the Beech 1900C to turn left. The Part 135 cargo plane slowly turned right and crashed into a warehouse nearby. Witnesses say the plane was inverted prior to the crash which claimed the life of the single pilot on board.[14][15]

In February 2010, a cargo door came unlatched on an airborne Alpine Air Express Beech 99 carrying mail from Billings, to Kalispell, Montana, at about 1:30 a.m. The plane was about 40 miles (64 km) north of Lewistown, Montana, when the pilot noted a light on the instrument panel had come on, indicating the door was unlatched. Because there was about 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg) of mail cargo in between the pilot and the door, he couldn’t close it. Because the door is located below the plane’s airstream, even when open it wouldn’t compromise the ability to fly and land the plane.[9]

References
  1. http://www.alpine-air.com/routes/%5B%5D
  2. https://www.aviationnews-online.com/cargo/ae-industrial-partners-acquires-majority-interest-in-alpine-air-express/ AE Industrial Partners acquires majority interest in Alpine Air Express
  3. "ABOUT". alpine-air.com. Alpine Air Express. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  4. https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b28c3b_e6df0a97e7a348c4a35bcf551adc88aa~mv2_d_11523_8250_s_4_2.png/v1/fill/w_629,h_432,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/RouteMap%20v4-02.webp
  5. "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. March 27, 2007. p. 74.
  6. Alpine Air Chile code data at planespotters.net
  7. Alpine Air timetable April 1, 1992
  8. "Alpine acquires Great Lakes fleet for freight work". www.businessairnews.com. Business Air News. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  9. "Cargo door opens on mail plane mid-flight to Kalispell". missoulian.com. Billings Gazette. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  10. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft 99 Airliner N199GL Neihart, MT". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  11. "Hawaii mail plane crashes, pilot missing". the.honoluluadvertiser.com. The Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  12. Sullivan, B. N. (January 22, 2008). "NTSB reports on Alpine Air crash in Hawaii". Aircrew Buzz. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  13. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft 1900C-1 N410UB Lihue, HI". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  14. Johnson, Clair. "Mail plane crashes near Main Street in Billings; pilot killed". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  15. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft 1900C N195GA Billings-Logan International Airport, MT (BIL)". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
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